On Oct. 1 -- the first day of the federal government shutdown -- Michigan budget director John Nixon told reporters, "Nobody was really anxious about it because that's what seems [to be] what the status quo is at the federal level: go right up to the last minute and work out a deal."

Nearly two weeks later, Congress and President Obama have not cut a deal to fund the government, forcing state departments in Michigan to create contingency plans if the money runs out for programs.

What's at stake: About 40 percent of Michigan's budget comes from federal funding. Each day of the shutdown, the state loses around $18 million.

Currently, the state is paying for programs that have run out for funding, including refugee services, Social Security Block Grant and MIOSHA.

"We feel like we can keep everything afloat for the end of October," said Kurt Weiss, spokesman for the state's budget office.

But if the shutdown continues into November, the state will have a problem paying for the additional programs, including the Food Assistance Program, also known as Food Stamps. The funds are distributed through the Bridge Card.

"We need to get word on how these [funding issues] would be solved," said David Akerly, spokesman for the Department of Human Services, which oversees the state's Food Assistance Program. "Those answers are not forthcoming from Washington D.C. yet, and this is a federally funded program.

"We're hopeful we don't get to that point."

What's to come

Effects of the shutdown have already been felt across the state. Thousands of federal employees in Michigan have been furloughed, including 900 National Guard technicians who were without work and pay the first week of the shutdown.

In Traverse City, flights were canceled at Cherry Capital Airport because equipment needed to be repaired during bad weather. The FAA workers who would do those repairs were furloughed.

But those could seem relatively trivial compared to what may happen in Michigan if the shutdown is not resolved by month's end. If funding isn't provided for the Food Assistance program, 1.8 million Michiganders would be without benefits.

The program costs $3 billion a year, or about $7 to $8 million a day in funding.

To get the benefits for November, "we're going to need some kind of agreement to open those purse strings," said Akerly.

Benefits would not be available for 89,338 Michigan veterans or 2,740 widows and children, said Veronica LaDuke, spokeswoman for the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency.

However, the state does have funds available that veterans and families could apply for, LaDuke said, and the office is able to help recipients apply for aid. The programs include Michigan Veterans Trust Fund, which is available for eligible wartime veterans.

There are other programs whose funding will run out next week, including Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF).

The state has $580 million in its rainy day fund - but that would hardly cover the budget hit, considering $20 billion of the state's budget comes from federal sources, according to Kurt Weiss, spokesman for the state's budget department.

The state is currently paying for some of the less expensive federal programs which has had funding run out. But states do not know if they will get reimbursed by the federal government when the government reopens.

"This isn't a Michigan issue. It's an every state issue. We're not being singled out," said Akerly. "We're all in the same boat over this, and all wondering how it will play out and what the possible impact will be."

Contingency plans

Each state department has been working to figure out what would happen if the shutdown is not resolved, and which programs would be impacted.

This takes them away from working on the business of the day.

The Department of Technology, Management & Budget was working on the fiscal year 2015 budget when it stopped to prepare for the shutdown, said Weiss.

"It's sucks the time of everyone on this floor," he said.

Projects that rely on federal agencies for information have come to a standstill.

In the DTMB, for example, 40 employees are devoted to analyzing the labor market. But now that the federal unemployment data is not available during the shutdown, "they can't do their job right now," Weiss said.

The Michigan Department of Community Health tracks flu trends and the Centers for Disease Control provides weekly updates with data from other states, said department spokeswoman Angela Minicuci. While work continues on the state, those reports have ceased since the government shutdown - which could hinder communication if a flu strain spreads.

A little less than half of state employees have their salaries partially or fully funded with federal money. Akerly said the 12,000 employees in the human services department "are doing a great job, they're doing their work and staying focused, and that's not going to change, at least here in the month of October. But if we go longer than that, there will be some impact."

Note: A previous version of this story had the incorrect spelling of Dave Akerly's last name.